DERBY – Whether searching for someone lost in the woods or helping to locate a person on the river, a new drone unit headed up by Storm Ambulance & Rescue Corps will serve as “eyes in the skies” during Valley emergencies.
Storms’ members held a press conference and live drone demonstration Friday (March 20) at the J.R. Payden Field House on Chatfield Street to announce the creation of the Storm Ambulance & Rescue Corps Drone Unit.
“The new drone unit will greatly enhance emergency response capabilities throughout the ower Naugatuck Valley,” Storms’ Chief Thomas Lenart said.
The drone program will work in coordination with both the Ansonia and Shelton fire departments to support search and rescue missions, incident command, disaster response, fire scene analysis, traffic accident reconstruction, and other functions, according to Lenart.
The drones can also be used to assist neighboring Valley towns when needed, Lenart said.
Storms secured a $26,000 grant from the Valley Community Foundation last year to purchase one large drone for Derby and two smaller drones for Ansonia and Shelton, along with related equipment. Click here to read a previous Valley Indy story.
Storms’ member David Lenart and Storms’ Captain Mike Witek are co-advisors of the drone program. They helped oversee training and federal aviation certification and licensing that was required for volunteer firefighters to operate the drones.
Derby currently has six licensed drone operators, while Shelton has three and Ansonia has two.
Since the drones arrived late last year, Tom Lenart said fortunately neither Derby, Ansonia nor Shelton have had to use them for emergencies.
Witek explained to a group of firefighters, VCF members and city leaders who attended Friday’s press conference that the drones are equipped with high-resolution cameras, thermal imaging and live-streaming capabilities to capture what’s happening in real-time emergencies.
Witek then took the largest drone outside the field house and took it for a demo flight.
Witek operated the drone via a remote control and flew it high into the sky over a nearby parking lot, zooming in to show crystal clear images of license plates. Witek also changed course a bit and flew the drone over the Housatonic River where people could be seen enjoying the first day of spring on O’Sullivan’s Island.
Sharon Closius, Valley Community Foundation’s president and CEO, said she was glad to help secure money for the Valley’s first emergency drone unit.
“I’m so excited about this, I just feel the whole Valley is going to have so much more resources when danger happens,” Closius said. “Having both rivers and having the beautiful trails and parks that we have in the Valley, people can get lost in them and this will be a huge help.”
Shelton Fire Chief Fran Jones said the new tool will be useful.
“It’s all about helping each other out,” Jones said. “The goal is not to have to use it (the drones), but emergencies are going to happen, and this is good to have.”